


stairwell

by tellmewhatyousee



Series: Hospital AU [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Discussion of Death, Doctor Law, Doctor Marco, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, mention of a child's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25942216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellmewhatyousee/pseuds/tellmewhatyousee
Summary: Marco usually takes the elevator, but that doesn't stop him from following his colleague into the stairwell.Prompt #7 for Writer's Month: hurt/comfort.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Trafalgar D. Water Law
Series: Hospital AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1882795
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	stairwell

**Author's Note:**

> this is an au i've been thinking about for a while, and it'll most likely just be explored through a series of one shots. i'm really interested in writing marco and law as coworkers, and i'm planning on ace making an appearance as well!

Marco rarely took the stairs at work. If he needed to get to another floor, he was probably in a hurry, and the elevator was usually much faster. Plus, he did enough running around as is, and he didn’t think he needed any more exercise.

The doctor brushing past him with his head down, making a beeline for one of the less-used stairwells, was enough to pique his interest. He didn’t want to look too suspicious, so he waited a few moments before he followed.

When Marco opened the door to the stairwell, he expected the doctor to be gone, rushing up or down the stairs in the same way he’d rushed towards them. Instead, he was sitting up against the wall, his head in his hands and his knees pulled up to his chest. Subtly, he was trembling, an exasperated sigh passing through his lips.

Marco recognized him immediately by the tattoos on his hands. ‘Trafalgar’ wasn’t an easily-forgotten name. He was a surgeon as well, though they’d only met during his internship a couple years prior. He’d assisted Marco on a few procedures before deciding trauma surgery wasn’t for him, and they hadn’t had much of a reason to interact after that.

Now, they were meeting again in an otherwise empty stairwell, and Trafalgar didn’t even seem to realize he wasn’t alone.

A few seconds passed before he lifted his head, running those tattooed fingers through his hair. It was only then that he noticed Marco’s presence, and pushed himself up off the ground to stand. For just a moment, he seemed flustered, but he quickly covered it up with his usual neutral expression.

“Sorry, just… needed to get off my feet for a moment,” Trafalgar said with a slight shake of his head.

Marco raised his eyebrows. He didn’t believe that for a second. “You don’t need to apologize,” he spoke calmly. Sure, he had some authority as an attending surgeon, but he wasn’t personally responsible for Trafalgar. It was none of Marco’s business what he decided to do outside of the trauma ward. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Trafalgar replied, all too quickly. His shaking hands said otherwise, and he must have seen Marco looking, because he steadied them against the railing behind him. “Did you need something, or are you just passing through?”

“I’m here because I saw you rushing in here,” Marco answered. “You looked upset. Do _you_ need anything?”

Trafalgar shook his head again. “I don't,” he said. “I told you, I’m just resting.”

Marco crossed his arms. Sure, he barely knew Trafalgar, but the few times they’d interacted had been enough. After their first surgery together, Trafalgar had passed out because he stood too long without any food or water. He didn’t seem like the type of person to ask for help. Marco had seen doctors in Trafalgar’s current state, too— most often it was the interns who took things a little too hard, who ran off when the job got too overwhelming. But he wasn’t about to judge Trafalgar for doing the same.

“You know, this sort of job presents some unique challenges,” Marco said. “It can be a lot to handle sometimes, and it’s not good to bottle it up. One of the best things you can do for yourself is talk about it with someone who can empathize with you.”

Trafalgar didn’t answer at first, just staring down at the floor. He stayed quiet for long enough that Marco didn’t think he was going to speak at all. He even considered turning away and giving up. Some people just didn’t _want_ help, and there was no changing that.

“How do you cope with death?” 

Marco raised his eyebrows. He thought it was an interesting question, coming from someone with the word permanently tattooed on his body. But before he could respond, Trafalgar spoke again.

“When a patient dies under your care,” he continued, “When you feel like it’s your fault. How do you deal with that?”

Marco took a deep breath. It was something he’d been asked plenty of times before, and the answer never really changed. “Therapy, mostly,” he said. “Understanding that I did everything I could, and that some things are out of my control. We’re skilled, sure, but we’re not miracle workers.”

Trafalgar nodded slowly. “So I’ve heard,” he mumbled. There was another silent spell before the added, “It just seems… different. When it’s a child.”

Marco sighed. _Ah._ That made a lot more sense. “That’s because it _is_ different,” he replied. “A child has lived a short life. And while I don’t think any life has inherently more value than another, it hurts a lot more when it’s someone who’s barely had a chance to live.”

Another nod. Trafalgar was still staring down at the floor. “Yeah.”

“It’s alright to be affected by it,” Marco added. “It’s normal. But you don’t have to endure it alone. You can reach out for help.”

Trafalgar lifted his hands from the railing to cross his arms instead. “I’ll… consider it,” he muttered.

“Good,” Marco replied with a small nod. “I’ll leave you alone. But if you need someone to talk to, you’re always welcome to come find me.” With that, he turned back towards the doorway.

It was very quiet, but as he walked away, he could hear a muttered “Thanks.”

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to ao3 user Harmonica_Smile who basically singlehandedly populates the marco & law and marco/law tags, you have inspired me and i hope u appreciate another contribution


End file.
